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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1986-11-05, Page 34expect my twin sister, Mannetta, and me to live at birth," she says. "We each weighed only three pounds." When they lost a half pound, the doctor placed the twin sisters in an incubator filled with oxygen. The excess oxygen damaged Annetta's eyes, causing one eye•to go blind. At 13, a basketball injury caused damaged to the other eye. Operations were not successful and she has lived in darkness ever since. But blindness has dimmed neither her smile nor her drive. "1 can't find anything to be depressed about," says Laye. "1 have a positive attitude, mainly because 1 know the Lord. I'm convinced I can do just about anything." "1 never get depressed about my blindness, because I am determined to make my place in society. 1 guess 1 am just too hard-headed. My parents didn't make any big deal out of my blindness, and 1 guess that helped me accept it," she says. "Miss Laye has been an Pogo 4 Sy Herm Nathan 1 Regional Volt. Spotter, November 5, 1986 Annetta Laye: Biind' Sign -Language Teacher t takes a special attitude for a blind woman to become a sign -language teacher. Annetta Laye must be among only a handful of sightless people in the nation who know the sign language for the deaf. She first began taking lessons in it while attending Eastfield Community College in Garland, Texas. "I wanted to learn sign language so I could communicate with the deaf. Their disability cuts them off from the world more than being blind does. They are really isolated from people, but I'm only isolated if people won't come near me," she says. Laye, 32, is employed at East Texas State University, Commerce, Texas, as a peer counselor and holds a master's degree in counseling. She also teaches sign language to special -education majors who °m plan to work with deaf students "The deaf are really isolated from people, but I'm only isolated if people won't come near me," says this inspiring woman. and the mentally retarded. About 15 special education majors attend her sign -language class. After completing the eight-week course, a student knows the basics of the language. There are about 1,000 signs; these students learn a few hundred of them. Special education teachers learn sign language because often they must teach severely retarded children who have difficulty speaking. These children often can leam sign language even though they can't learn to speak. Annetta Laye learned sign language by having the teacher form her hands into the proper sign for the given word. "It took months of daily two- and three-hour practice sessions to become proficient in the language," Laye says. A native of Garland, Texas, she was the first blind student to graduate from Garland High School. "My parents didn't inspiration to every handicapped student at East Texas," says Paula Balkw, director of the special services division at the university. "She hasn't let her handicap get in the way. And as far as how she relates to students, she is as good or better as any peer counselor 1 have," Ballew says. "Everyone around here is used to seeing her and her dog, Sunshine, on campus, and she is always so eager tQ talk to people." • Whatever problems the handicapped face, they know Annetta Laye will try to help them, she says. Laye iC responsible for Braille labels being placed on elevator. so the blind can operate them. Soft-drink machines are now marked in Braille also, and Laye persuaded the university to trim low -hanging tree limbs so the blind won't walk into them. "After I became blind, I learned real quickly that if 1 don't do things for myself, other people won't either. I just became very determined. 1 can handle my blindness; other people have a hard time handling it," she says. "1 think sometimes people think if someone is blind they should just sit still and never move a muscle. God gave me a sound body, and I do my best to keep it sound." She keeps in shape by swimming and exercising on a trampoline. She sometimes becomes discouraged, though, at others' attitude. For example, she said she loves to go to movies, but she seldom gets asked to because people mistakenly assume that the blind don't attend movies. During one of her reflective moments, Annetta Laye says she wishes she could see because she would like to see the faces of her mother and father. And one thing more: "I would like to see the moonlight. I miss the moon. I can feel the sun, but 1 can't feel the moonlight." ■ MOV NG SALE! Low! Low Prices! - Everything Must Go! SAVE ON: Plumbing Supplies - Furniture -Mirrors - Doors .- Lumber - Windows - Red Brick - Cement Blocks - Steel High Beams - Steel Trusses - Antiques - Collectobles - Lights - Fixtures ALL STOCK MUST BE CLEARED BEFORE WE MOVE DECEMBER lst, 1986 Come and See Us Now! And Get a Great Deal! A. I I 1 i • - Trading A -JAC DEMOLITION (LONDON) LTD. Corner Hyde Park & Sarnia Rd. London 519-471-0741